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Federal health expert drop flossing from health guidelines

arstechnica.com

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Re: Federal health expert drop flossing from health guidelines

#71

Post by charlesism »

StavrosK wrote: post #67

Isn't it about time we got rid of the ridiculous "if we haven't researched it, we know nothing about it" fallacy? Research is strong evidence that points towards something. Lack of research doesn't mean complete lack of a-priori knowledge . If something is obviously good for you, then that's probably a good start for recommending it.

Except even when we have researched something, it turns out we were wrong half of the time. We've only had a couple centuries since the Age of Enlightenment - we know practically nothing for sure (ie: well enough to take for granted). Unfortunately human nature seems to be vastly overconfident, so that's not a popular opinion.

Re: Federal health expert drop flossing from health guidelines

#72

Post by MicroBerto »

gjem97 wrote: post #68
StavrosK wrote: post #67

Isn't it about time we got rid of the ridiculous "if we haven't researched it, we know nothing about it" fallacy? Research is strong evidence that points towards something. Lack of research doesn't mean complete lack of a-priori knowledge . If something is obviously good for you, then that's probably a good start for recommending it.

I think that's missing the point. And, as an aside, so are all the comments in this thread that are essentially "flossing works for me, so I'm going to keep doing it." The point of this article is not that people should stop flossing, or that it's bad for some reason. The point is that an entire industry of medical professionals were saying "floss because it reduces you risk of tooth decay and gum disease," when in f…

Dentists and dental hygienists look into tens of thousands of mouths over the courses of their careers. It's not difficult for them to see that patients who floss have far healthier smiles, in general.

That said, they should get more studies done.

You could also be a bad flosser, so even the study could be flawed.

Re: Federal health expert drop flossing from health guidelines

#73

Post by ptaipale »

MicroBerto wrote: post #72
gjem97 wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think that's missing the point. And, as an aside, so are all the comments in this thread that are essentially "flossing works for me, so I'm going to keep doing it." The point of this article is not that people should stop flossing, or that it's bad for some reason. The point is that an entire industry of medical professionals were saying "floss because it reduces you risk of tooth decay and gum disease," when in f…

Dentists and dental hygienists look into tens of thousands of mouths over the courses of their careers. It's not difficult for them to see that patients who floss have far healthier smiles, in general. That said, they should get more studies done. You could also be a bad flosser, so even the study could be flawed.

Again, there's the comparison of people who sell ice cream and see that when they sell more, there will be more drownings. Correlation does not imply causation.

I think it is quite obvious that people who floss also brush their teeth more regularly, and that is enough to give them healthier smiles.

(Regarding the benefits of flossing, I'm agnostic.)

Re: Federal health expert drop flossing from health guidelines

#74

Post by nextos »

ronjouch wrote: post #66
nextos wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's a ton of evidence in the literature supporting that gum disease and cavities are, obviously, a bacterial issue. Flossing is an obvious way to disrupt pathogenic bacterial colonies by abrasion. I think irrigation is much better, as it reaches deep pockets below gums. But it doesn't replace flossing entirely. Those two, coupled with regular brushing of teeth, gum and tongue, plus oral probiotics should keep iss…

Can you expand on which probiotics?

Blis M18 and K12 strains. There are many brands using these. I prefer pills straight from Blis or Life Extension.

If your mouth has an unhealthy microbiome, you might need to place a lot of emphasis on killing bad bacteria initially. For this purpose, salt water or mild antibiotics (chlorhexidine) for 2 weeks combined with double dose of probiotics should do the trick.

Obviously, sugars feed bad bacteria, which metabolize it into acids to erode your enamel. Avoid entirely.

Re: Federal health expert drop flossing from health guidelines

#75

Post by wilwade »

I think the issue here is not if it is actually helpful or not, but that it was claimed (and advertised) to be without the necessary research.

The AP article explains that flossing had to be dropped from the federal guidelines as those are required to be backed by research.

The groups that claim it is good for you all have a financial reason to claim it. Not alone wrong, but wrong in the absence of quality research backing the claims.

Re: Federal health expert drop flossing from health guidelines

#77

Post by danwills »

ronjouch wrote: post #66
nextos wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's a ton of evidence in the literature supporting that gum disease and cavities are, obviously, a bacterial issue. Flossing is an obvious way to disrupt pathogenic bacterial colonies by abrasion. I think irrigation is much better, as it reaches deep pockets below gums. But it doesn't replace flossing entirely. Those two, coupled with regular brushing of teeth, gum and tongue, plus oral probiotics should keep iss…

Can you expand on which probiotics?

I reckon milk kefir is pretty good, apparentiy it has a particularly broad and strong co-operative of micro-overlords, ahem, micro-organisms! Dental-protection? probably? No studies to back that, but in my opinion, it's one of the best cultures for your insides.

Re: Federal health expert drop flossing from health guidelines

#78

Post by foldr »

MicroBerto wrote: post #72
gjem97 wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think that's missing the point. And, as an aside, so are all the comments in this thread that are essentially "flossing works for me, so I'm going to keep doing it." The point of this article is not that people should stop flossing, or that it's bad for some reason. The point is that an entire industry of medical professionals were saying "floss because it reduces you risk of tooth decay and gum disease," when in f…

Dentists and dental hygienists look into tens of thousands of mouths over the courses of their careers. It's not difficult for them to see that patients who floss have far healthier smiles, in general. That said, they should get more studies done. You could also be a bad flosser, so even the study could be flawed.

>healthier smiles

You mean healthier teeth?

Re: Federal health expert drop flossing from health guidelines

#79

Post by wvh »

My mother-in-law is a dentist. When she heard I always brush my teeth but rarely floss, she told me flossing is more important than brushing your teeth. For once I didn't get into the science of things, but still I accept that getting old bits of food and other junk away from between my teeth can only be a positive thing.

It runs counter to my sceptic nature, I like to question everything, but I'm slowly starting to learn that sometimes you just have to take an expert's advice.

I'm sure any half-way decent dentist can see pretty quickly how well you take care of your teeth, in the same way a seasoned programmer can often point out a beginner's bad code or a civil engineer warn about the wrong way to build a bridge or a house on a swamp.

Re: Federal health expert drop flossing from health guidelines

#80

Post by pc86 »

weavie wrote: post #58
pc86 wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I brushed mostly regularly the second half of this period I'm terrified to ask what you did the first half of that period.

" I can get caught up in code for days "

"I have terrible personal hygiene and write it off as being 'quirky'"
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